The Year to Remember
by Kris Wright
Summary: This is the 7th book in Neville's perspective. Hogwarts without the Golden Trio and Neville as Head Boy. Things will change for everyone. There are some spoilers from HBP. GWNL with slight HGHP
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is my Harry Potter story. When I wrote the letter, I didn't have a book in front of me to reference what was said. I just went with what sounded good. I'll change it later if you want me to. Anywho, enjoy!

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He heard the tapping on his window and looked out. The large tawny owl was resting on his window sill. He rushed over to open it and took the envelope. What was the decision? Would he be able to spend his last year a Hogwarts, to get away from his house and face his fears? He ripped open the seal and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Mr. Longbottom,_

_We are pleased to inform you that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will remain open for this school year. Due to the current circumstances, security at the school has been improved and safety will not be an issue for the students. We are restricting visits to Hogsmeade this year as the village is open to any wizard and cannot be guarded by Aurors or the professors._

_The list for your school books has not been included. We will acquire your needed textbooks and they will await your arrival in your dormitory. Term will start on September first, with the Hogwarts Express departing from platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross station at 10 am._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress of Hogwarts School_

Neville grinned. He was going back. He then noticed that there was another sheet with the letter. He thought that the list for school books wouldn't be included. He flipped the sheet over and looked at it. His mouth dropped open.

_Dear Mr. Longbottom,_

_We have received word that Mr. Weasley will not be attending Hogwarts in his final year so he will not be able to fulfill the duty as Head Boy. The duty has been awarded to you._

_Please arrive at King's Cross station one half hour early before the train departs at platform nine and three-quarters. Details shall be explained upon your arrival._

_Congratulations,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress of Hogwarts School_

"Me? Head boy?" Neville squeaked. He heard a knock on his bedroom door and his grandmother entered the room.

"Is that your letter? So, what's the verdict?"

He looked at her. "It's open. And they made me Head Boy."

"They what? Is this a joke, Neville?"

"No, Gran. They said that Ron wasn't going to be at school, so I got the job."

"Why didn't they give it to Harry Potter?" Neville shrugged. "Oh well. I guess we should go get your books, then."

"They said we weren't supposed to. They're going to get them for us. Safety reasons, I'm guessing."

"Well, that's good. Once I get you on the train, you can worry about your own neck."

"Gran…"

"Oh, Neville, you know I don't mean it. Come on, you have to go to the Ministry to get your Apparating license."

Neville gulped, placed the letters on his desk and followed his grandmother. He didn't think he was ready to make him self disappear and reappear fifty yards from where he was going to start from.

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Neville hugged his grandmother and hopped aboard the train. He looked for someone who would talk to him, and found a conductor waving at him. He approached the man.

"You be Longbottom?" he asked.

"Yes sir."

"Right, in you go, then," the man said opening the door to a compartment for him.

Neville entered the compartment and found Luna Lovegood already sitting inside. She looked up at him. "Hullo," she said dreamily.

"Hi, Luna," he answered and took a seat across from her.

They waited a few more minutes before the door opened again and Professor Flitwick entered. "Hello, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Lovegood. I'm going to tell you what your duties are going to be for the year. Now, first off, we will only be using two dormitories this year since not many students are returning. It will not be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, it will just be a boys' dormitory and a girls' dormitory. Understood?" They both nodded. "Excellent!

"Now, as Head Boy and Head Girl, you two must help protect the school. Here are lists of when you two will be patrolling the corridors at night." He handed them two sheets of parchment. "On the nights you patrol, you will not have classes the next day, so that is already arranged." He went on discussing everything on what they would have to do with their new jobs. Finally, as they heard students finally board the train, Flitwick said, "I believe that's everything. Are there any questions?"

"What are the passwords?" Luna asked as she stared at the piece of parchment.

"Oh, right. The girls' password is 'flibbergast,' and the boys' password is 'Nurinda Tipitarus.' I do hope you will be able to remember that, Mr. Longbottom."

"Neville smiled. "It's a plant. I think I can remember it."

"Good! Well, then, off you two go to secure yourselves a compartment and to start patrolling the halls. Some prefects will take over for you after the first half hour."

They both nodded at him and left the compartment. As soon as they shut the door, they heard a small _pop_ so they knew that Flitwick had Apparated.

"Do you have a compartment already?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, I dropped my stuff off at the last one on the train before I came up here. You can put your stuff with mine, if you like."

She smiled. "Thank you." She turned into the compartment they were next to, and soon she had her trunk floating in midair behind her. "Lead the way," she said simply.

He walked down the corridors, looking into each compartment as they passed. Flitwick was right; there were about one or two people to every other one. Soon, they arrived at the last compartment on the train. He opened the door and saw the familiar red hair of a petite girl staring out the window.

"Ginny!" he said, unable to hide the happiness he felt when he saw her.

She turned around and saw the person who called her name. She gave him a small smile. "Hello, Neville. Hi, Luna."

"You seem negative. Does your aura need to be cleansed?" Luna asked as she placed her trunk above the seats.

"No thanks, Trelawney, I'll be fine."

Luna sat down across from Ginny and pulled out a copy of the _Quibbler_ and began to read.

"How was your summer, Ginny?" Neville asked as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, peachy. I spent the entire summer locked up inside my room for protection. Of course, she let Ron run off with Harry and Hermione, but I had to beg her to let me come here. I mean, what I'm doing is safer than what Ron is doing."

"What his he doing?"

"Chasing You-Know-Who."

Neville was shocked. "Why would he want to do that?"

"Because he's stupidly loyal to Harry, who's stupidly noble."

He frowned. "Are you upset that you couldn't join them?"

"No, I'm upset that Harry thinks I'm a little child and can't do anything for myself. I got my O.W.L.S. back. I received almost the exact same scores as Hermione. But no, I'm still a little kid and Hermione is older and wiser. What a bunch of bollocks."

Neville furrowed his brow. "Are you jealous of Hermione?"

"No!" she said automatically. "I don't know," she said sighing. "Maybe I am. She spends so much time with Harry. I think she has feelings for him."

"I thought she fancied Ron?" Neville said.

"I think it's more him than her. I just…I feel she might steal him from me."

"Ron? I don't think you'd miss him too much."

"No, Harry. I mean, he and I….it was so quick. But, of course, he's Harry Potter, and I'm just silly Ginny Weasley."

"You're not silly," Neville said.

She smiled at him. "Thanks. But I feel that way to Harry." She paused. "Maybe I should send him an owl, it might be reassuring. He did promise we would be together after all of this was over."

Neville's heart sank. No one knew it, but he had a mad crush on Ginny. He had liked her almost since her first year. They had run into each other a lot that year, and spent most meals together. He was hurt, though, when she revealed that Tom Riddle's diary was her only friend. Neville didn't stop, though. He continued to strike up conversations with her whenever possible, and when the Yule Ball came around, he got up the nerve to invite her with him (after a practice round on Hermione). He thought they had made some progress when he ruined the evening and she ran off with the boy who could dance. Even though he still talked to her, and they confided in each other, she moved on to Dean, and then on to Harry. He hoped she wouldn't date Seamus before she would ever consider dating him.

He was brought back to present day when he realized that Ginny had spoken to him. "Neville?"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you how your summer was."

"Oh, it was…uneventful. I got my Apparating license."

"That's wonderful! You truly are becoming a better wizard every day," she said with a smile. She did have confidence in him, and it did help him to know that at least one person believed in him.

They spent the rest of the train ride talking mostly about nothing; Luna jumped in quite a few times to discuss an article from her father's magazine. They soon were putting on their school robes and waiting for the train to stop.

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The Sorting Hat ceremony did not occur, as there were not incoming first years and separating them into houses was not necessary. Professor McGonagall said a few words and they all tucked in their feast before splitting off and heading up to the new dormitories.

After a few failed attempts to get the boys' attention, Neville decided to speak up. "Listen up!" he screamed. The boys instantly stopped making noise. "I'm only going to give you the password once, so you're going to have to remember it, all right?" All the boys grumbled in response. He turned around to the portrait hanging on the wall. "Nurinda Tipitarus!" he said loudly. The centaur in the portrait nodded and allowed the boys access into their new dormitory. All boys split off into their years and headed up the stairs. Neville looked around the room and headed back out. It was his night to patrol the corridors.

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A/N: So that's chapter one! Review so I remember to update. I tend to forget sometimes...:)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I am suddenly writing again! Yay! Hopefully I'll keep this up and there will be more to come. For now, enjoy!

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The first month had passed easily enough. Neville still had trouble trying to turn his canary into a hat—it was still covered in feathers and chirped when it was touched. Luckily he had a few open spots in his schedule so he took to becoming an assistant for Professor Sprout for the younger years. He knew he was gifted in Herbology and planned to play to his strengths in the future.

His trouble was that he rarely saw Ginny. During any meal, she was surrounded on every side of the table by friends of hers. She was extremely popular and very beautiful. He had heard what guys were saying about her. She was the most sought after girl in the school now, and he was extremely jealous. Of course, there really wasn't anything he could do because she had never seen him _that_ way.

On Sunday night, Neville was patrolling the corridors. He hadn't run into any professors along his path, so he felt quite alone and vulnerable. He had actually fathomed the idea that they forgot it was their night, too, and he was left all alone. He tried shaking the silly idea from his head, but for the rest of the night he still felt uneasy. Around three in the morning, he decided to take a short break and head down to the kitchens for a little snack. He was heading down the corridor to the portrait of the fruit, when he heard a noise. It sounded like someone had dropped something. Quickly, and silently, he approached the noise and whispered, "_Lumos_." When the bean of light appeared, he heard a scream. "Ginny!"

"Neville, what are you doing down here?"

"I might ask you the same question."

She stood up and looked down at the shattered glass on the ground. She pulled out her wand and muttered something. The glass magically repaired itself. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here for some warm milk." She looked up at him expectantly.

"I was patrolling and I wanted a little snack."

"You know it's not a good idea to eat something this late at night."

"Well, I'm going to be up all night anyway."

She nodded and glanced away. She then turned back to him. "I haven't seen you in awhile. How have you been?"

"All right, I guess. Still trying to pass my required classes. I wish all I had to take was Herbology."

She smiled. "Well at least you're good at something."

"What are you talking about? You're smart."

"I do all right, but I'm not gifted in anything."

Neville chuckled. "Oh come on, you're talented in everything."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't argue with you, but you are wrong." Neville opened his mouth to protest, but Ginny cut him off. "You know, I enjoy talking to you. You're practically the only guy here who doesn't drool all over me and ask me out repeatedly."

"P-people have been doing that?"

She nodded. "Incessantly. I guess they think that if they keep badgering me they'll wear me down and I'll accept one."

"You're not going to?"

"No. I would consider it if they went about it the right way."

"And what's the right way?" He boldly asked.

"I'm not going to tell you! You might pass on information to Seamus or someone."

"Never! If you don't want to date them, then I'm not going to try and let them win. Besides, even if they did suddenly switch, you probably still wouldn't accept their invitations."

Ginny smiled. "You're right. But I'm still not telling you."

Neville smiled back. "Fair enough."

She looked down at the glass in her hand and back up at him. "So, is there a girl that you're interested in at the moment?"

His eyes grew wide. "W-what?"

"Yeah, someone you fancy. There has to be a girl. You've been here seven years. You can't tell me that there isn't at least one girl you've felt something for."

"Uh, yeah, there is someone, kind of," he squeaked.

She grinned mischievously. "Really? Who is it? Maybe I can set you two up."

"Ha, I don't think that would work."

"Why not? Did she not come this year?"

"No, she's here." He couldn't believe how bold he was! Hopefully he wasn't going to reveal that it was her he fancied.

"Then who is she?"

"Someone who I'll never get."

She frowned. "Don't talk like that, Neville. You can be with any girl you like; you just need to be more confident."

"How so?"

"Well, I haven't seen you talk to any girl this year, and I hang around them all, so I know. Approach her. Start a conversation with her. She needs to know you exist before you ask her out, of course."

"I don't think that would work," Neville said uneasily.

"Why not? Because you think you're just Harry Potter's little friend whom no one knows? That's all rubbish! You're a great guy and you need to let this girl see that."

"I've never done anything like that before."

"Exactly, but you need to be bold. You shouldn't fear rejection. If it happens, you move on and try again. You shouldn't focus on the negative. Think about the positive. Keep in your head that she will accept your invitation and that she will fall for you."

"But….I've known her for so long," he said. He thought it was weird that she was the first person he had told about his having feelings for someone, and that someone was the one he was talking to.

"Well, I've always heard that friends make better lovers." Neville smiled. "So, become her friend and soon she'll be swooning over you."

"Why are you giving me this advice?"

"Because you're seventeen years old, and you're too shy and inexperienced to know what to do around a girl," she said matter-of-factly.

"I think I discovered what you're truly gifted in."

"What's that?"

"Giving advice."

"Oh yes, I'll work for the _Daily Prophet_ and be and Advice Columnist. Thanks so much for helping me find my calling, Neville," she said sarcastically. He grinned at her. Suddenly, she turned serious. "Is this going to be the only time we really see each other this year? You're my friend, I want to be able to see you and talk with you."

"Well, it is a little difficult. I'm sure we'll run into each other during the year."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, so the last year you spend here at Hogwarts, I'll only see you whenever I bump into you in the halls."

"Well, if you can think of a better way…"

"Sit with me at meals."

"There's never any room."

"I'll make room for you, then. It's not like I need my fan club around me. If someone takes your seat, then I'll go sit by you."

"You don't have to do that, Ginny."

"I want to. You're not just Ron's friend, you know. I feel like I barely know you."

"There's not much to know."

She smiled. "I'm sure there is."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I should probably get back to my patrol."

Her smile dropped. "Well, would you like some company?"

"You should get to bed. What if one of the professors saw you?"

"Then I'd get detention."

"I'd get in trouble, too."

"Neville Longbottom, do you not want to be seen with me?"

"That's not it. I just don't want you to get into trouble. I want you to be safe."

She sighed. "Then will you at least walk me back up to my dormitory?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

They slowly strolled up to her dormitory talking about nothing. They didn't run into any professors along the way, so Neville was glad he didn't have to create a story. When they arrived at the portrait, she turned and hugged him before saying the password and scurrying into the common room.

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The next day, Neville woke up around noontime and headed down for lunch. He rather liked sleeping in on his days off from classes. He entered the dining hall, and looked for where Ginny was sitting. He noticed there wasn't a seat open for him and she was chatting animatedly with her friends; she didn't even notice him walk in the room. She had forgotten. He took a seat at the head of the table and reached for a sandwich. Suddenly, someone sat down next to him. He looked over and saw that it was Ginny. She smiled at him before reaching for a sandwich and ladled some soup into a bowl. He looked over at where she was sitting before. Her friends looked stunned. Her admirers looked angry. He felt smug but tried not to show it. "How are you?" he asked her.

"I'm all right, how are you?"

"Great."

Soon her friends realized she wasn't returning to them so they came over and joined her. They tried to get her to ignore him, but she kept on including him in the conversation. Toward the end of lunch, right before afternoon classes were going to start, she turned to him. "Neville, I need to ask you something."

He looked at her nervously. Maybe she had discovered she was the object of his affections. "O-ok."

"I just recently had my first test in Herbology, and I didn't do very well on it. I talked to Professor Sprout, and she said that maybe I should get someone to help me. So, I was wondering, would you tutor me?"

He looked shocked. She was the first person who ever asked _him_ for help. He felt very proud. "Of course," he said with a smile.

She grinned at him and realized she had to leave. "Oh, it's time for my next class. Thank you so much, Neville. I'll talk to you about it more at dinner." She kissed him on the cheek and hurried off to catch up with her friends. He knew he was blushing.

"Oy, Neville," someone across him said.

He looked at who was sitting across from him now. "What's up, Seamus?" He noticed the ten other guys around him.

"What have you been doing to get Ginny's attention? We've been trying everything and she won't give us the time of day."

Neville pretended to be confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play tricks on us, Longbottom," someone said.

"Honestly, I haven't tried anything. She's a friend."

"I've never seen you two hang out before," the same guy said.

"It was mostly in our dormitory. Remember, Ginny and I were Gryffindors."

"I don't remember you being around her that much," Seamus said.

"We're not really that close."

"So, that kiss on the cheek was something she does with friends who aren't that close?" Justin Finch-Fletchery said.

"No, that was for something different." Neville started to feel uneasy.

"What was it, then?"

"It's nothing that concerns you." He stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have some homework I need to do. And you guys need to get to your classes."

He hurried off to his room and sealed his chamber shut so guys wouldn't come after him asking questions. Although he was excited that he was going to be spending more time with Ginny, he was worried that the other guys were going to get upset.

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A/N: So, there it is. I wrote it in about two hours. Not bad, I think. There will be more Ginny/Neville action in the next chapter, and I think I'll let you guys know what's going on with Harry and his gang. Until then, let me know what you think! Toodles for now!


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